Public health impact of salt reduction

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) contribute substantially to the burden of diseases worldwide. Hypertension is a major risk factor for CVD. High salt intake has an adverse effect on blood pressure and the number of CVD cases in the population.

Salt intake in the Netherlands is around 9 grams per day, which is far above recommended levels. Most of our daily salt intake comes from processed foods. The present project focuses on the impact of salt reduction strategies on daily salt intake and long‐term population health in the Netherlands and Europe. Different scenarios for salt reduction, involving consumers and food industry, are modelled using the RIVM Chronic Disease Model and DYNAMO‐HIA model. The potential impact on CVD, disability adjusted life years, and life expectancy is estimated. Furthermore, different health impact models for estimating the effect of salt reduction are compared, which includes an evaluation of the underlying model assumptions.